Animals

Conservation is at the heart of everything we do

At Howletts, it’s our pleasure to care for over 400 animals across 50 species. Our expert keepers look after the incredible animals that call our 100 acre park home, day in and day out and welcome you to take a peek into a world where the animals really do come first.

Help Support Us

Howletts is a charity and we rely on visitor support to help us continue the valuable work we do, not only here at the park, but also in connection with The Aspinall Foundation and the charity’s overseas conservation projects.

Help Support Us

Howletts is a charity and we rely on visitor support to help us continue the valuable work we do, not only here at the park, but also in connection with The Aspinall Foundation and the charity’s overseas conservation projects.

Meet Our Animals

When you visit Howletts, you’ll see not just the only African elephants in the County, but the largest herd of these magnificent mammals in the UK! You’ll discover Western lowland gorillas, Northern Chinese leopards, snow leopards, clouded leopards, giant anteaters, Sumatran tigers, Kent’s only Gelada baboons and so many more.

Found across central Africa through Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania in mainly closed canopy forests, black and white colobus have a glossy black fur which is contrasted by their u-shaped cape-like mantle, bushy white tuft at the tip of the tail and short white hair surrounding their face.

The European bison, or wisent, is the largest herbivore in Europe and was historically distributed through Western, Central and South Eastern Europe. European bison are browsers eating fresh shoots, leaves, herbs, ferns and shrubs.

The greater kudu is the second largest of the antelopes, with eland being the largest. They are widely distributed in Africa - southern Chad, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Namibia, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.

In the wild Iberian wolves are native to Northern Spain and Portugal. Their scientific name ‘signatus’ means “marked” due to the white markings on their upper lips and the darker marks on the tail and front legs.

Margay are arboreal cats found from northern Mexico down through central and south America. They are agile and acrobatic climbers aided by broad feet, flexible toes and large claws which allow for a secure grip.